Perceptions of nurses' caring by mothers experiencing postpartum depression.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the meaning of nurses' caring for mothers experiencing postpartum depression.

DESIGN

Phenomenological research design; in depth, unstructured interviews were conducted.

SETTING

The interviews were conducted in the mothers' homes.

PARTICIPANTS

A purposive sample of 10 mothers who had experienced postpartum depression.

RESULTS

Using Colaizzi's (1978) phenomenological method, the transcriptions of these interviews were analyzed. Seven themes emerged that illustrated nurses' caring for mothers experiencing postpartum depression: having sufficient knowledge about postpartum depression; using astute observation and intuition to make quick, correct diagnoses; providing hope that the mothers' living nightmares will come to an end; readily sharing their time; making appropriate referrals for the right path to recovery; providing continuity of care; and understanding what the mothers were experiencing.

CONCLUSIONS

The exhaustive description of caring that emerged from this phenomenological study will help sensitize nurses to issues to consider in caring for mothers experiencing postpartum depression.